New Zealand lashed by storms

South Island hit by heavy snow and winds, with record waves off coast.

21 Jun 2013 14:19 GMT

A winter storm bearing powerful winds disrupted air traffic across New Zealand and cut power to thousands of homes, forced schools to close and generated record-sized waves.

The capital, Wellington, was blasted on Friday with winds of more than 80 miles an hour. The gusts disrupted bus, rail and road transportation, brought down trees and power lines and ripped tiles from suburban roofs. About 28,000 homes in Wellington lost power.

Ocean waves measuring almost 15 metres were recorded near Wellington by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research - the largest it had recorded near the capital since it began taking measurements in 1995.

The waves washed away parts of some coastal roads and seawalls. The storm also brought heavy snow to some parts of the South Island.

National carrier Air New Zealand canceled all Wellington flights at the height of the storm, and flights from Christchurch and Queenstown were also canceled or delayed. Forecasters expected conditions to improve over the weekend.

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Heavy snow and strong winds have battered New Zealand.

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The severe weather also affected parts of the South Island that are still recovering from flooding after another storm struck a few days ago.

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Up to 1.5 metres of snow fell in the mountainous regions of the South Island.

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In the last 24 hours, another 30mm of rain, sleet and snow has fallen in Christchurch, which is half the monthly average. This could be the city\(***)s wettest June on record.

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As snow blanketed the South Island, the North Island was battered by strong winds.

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The city of Wellington, notorious for its strong winds, saw gusts of windy up to 200kph on Mount Kaukau.

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The strong winds forced many flights to be cancelled and left thousands of people without power.

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The strong winds whipped up the waves, which inundated many seafront homes.

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The winds are now easing, but the weather is expected to stay bitterly cold over the next few days.

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Heavy snow and strong winds have battered New Zealand.

Getty Images

The severe weather also affected parts of the South Island that are still recovering from flooding after another storm struck a few days ago.

Getty Images

Up to 1.5 metres of snow fell in the mountainous regions of the South Island.

Getty Images

In the last 24 hours, another 30mm of rain, sleet and snow has fallen in Christchurch, which is half the monthly average. This could be the city\(***)s wettest June on record.

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As snow blanketed the South Island, the North Island was battered by strong winds.

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The city of Wellington, notorious for its strong winds, saw gusts of windy up to 200kph on Mount Kaukau.

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The strong winds forced many flights to be cancelled and left thousands of people without power.

Getty Images

The strong winds whipped up the waves, which inundated many seafront homes.

Getty Images

The winds are now easing, but the weather is expected to stay bitterly cold over the next few days.